It’s important to help teach your child how to manage their own TAI routine. When done right, routine use of TAI can improve your child’s quality of life compared to conservative bowel treatments. By helping them to learn how to perform TAI independently, you are setting them up with an effective and predictable bowel management solution for their future.
Why is it important to teach your child independence with TAI?
Some people who use TAI continue to irrigate their bowels for many years. By teaching your child how to do this process when they are young, they learn how to effectively manage their condition and reduce the amount of time on bowel management in the future when compared to conservative treatments. As they grow up, they can have confidence in their bowel as they have a tried and tested treatment that they know can provide effective and predictable prevention of incontinence & constipation.
Teaching your child to be more independent in their TAI routine may also help to make your job easier. Whilst you will still need to support your small child with their irrigation, if they are actively participating in the process and are more engaged, you may find the process goes more smoothly. Your child will feel proud to know what to do and be happier throughout the irrigation process than if they don’t know what is going on. Their independence and knowledge about the process can help to alleviate their concerns.
What can I do to help my child become more independent with their irrigations?
It is always good to encourage your child to actively participate in the irrigation. At first, this may simply be by explaining to them what you are doing, and showing them what the process involves. This will help them overcome their worries and concerns and they will feel like they have more control.
After you have completed a few irrigations, you may suggest some smaller tasks that they can do themselves. Filling up the water bag could be a task that gets them actively involved in the process, for example. You may also suggest that they connect the different parts of Peristeen Plus together.
Once you are comfortable with Peristeen Plus and the irrigation process, you may want to actively include them in more complex parts, such as inflating the balloon catheter with the correct number of pumps. If tasks like this seem worrisome for your child, you can instil confidence by asking them how many pumps the catheter needs, even if you still do it yourself.†
To further engage your child, you may also want to ask them to take control of the Peristeen Plus irrigation checklist or irrigation diary. Ask your child to tick off that everything is in order before you begin the irrigation. Getting your child acquainted with the wider tasks will help to give them an overview of what is involved and can help to make it easier when they want privacy later on.
Filling out the irrigation diary is also a great way to engage your child. They will then know that they are completing their irrigations and develop both a sense of accomplishment and control over their bowel.
Your healthcare provider will be able to guide you as to when it may be appropriate for your child to begin playing a more active role in their irrigations.
† Remember to refer to the Instructions for Use and your healthcare providers recommendations.
